Here Are The Ways You Can Spend Your 2018 AMEX Airline Fee Credit

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There are 4 AMEX cards that give a credit to use for incidental fees on the airline of your choice.

The AMEX airline fee credit works on a calendar basis. If you apply for a card today and ask for it to be expedited you can use the 2018 credit by 12/31/18, the 2019 credit anytime in 2019, and the 2020 credit in January 2020. That’s $600 in airline fee credits in your first cardmembership year!

You need to register with a specific airline before spending. After you register for an airline you can officially only change your airline in January. However if you haven’t yet used your credit that year you can change it by chatting with AMEX online. You may also be able to change it if you have used the credit, but that may require some HUCA. You can verify that it’s been changed by clicking on the enrollment links above.

You can choose to register for the following airlines:

Alaska

American

Delta

Frontier

Hawaiian

JetBlue

Southwest

Spirit

United

Note that if you have a Business Platinum card, the airline you choose will also be the airline that will give you 35% of your points back when redeeming for coach travel. You may want to hold off on spending the $200 until the end of the year if you want to be able to change the airline more easily during the year. You also get back 35% of your points on all airlines in business and first class redemptions without having to register for an airline.

The following items have been reported to work for airline fee credit:

Alaska Airlines tickets under $99, if registered for Alaska.

Award redeposit and change fees from airline of your choice.

Baggage fees from airline of your choice.

Delta gift cards purchased via their desktop site only of $50 each if registered for Delta. You can purchase 4 gift cards in one transaction. Note that you can use up to 3 Delta gift cards per airfare purchase.

I’ve had upgrades from economy to premium economy be credited. If done through a travel agent the coding is sometimes marked miscellaneous.

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December 25, 2018 1:29 pm

CtownBin

JetBlue pet fees work, it’s $100 each way which works out nicely.

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December 25, 2018 1:34 pm

pointer

Pet fees are specifically mentioned by amex as an eligible refund charge, so will work with any airline

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December 25, 2018 2:13 pm

Sorry

125 each way

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December 26, 2018 1:32 pm

Nun

Why are you drawing so much attention to gift cards? That should only be a footnote as a backup plan. You’re sure to help kill that option.

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December 25, 2018 1:40 pm

Dan

Good morning.
I’ve been making this post annually for the past 6 years. Not exactly state secret stuff here.

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December 25, 2018 1:41 pm

oh my

be quiet. some do not travel all the time.

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December 25, 2018 1:53 pm

C. Mucius

Drinks in the Admirals Club

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December 25, 2018 1:49 pm

yuri

So purchasing united gift cards would not work to trigger the credit?

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December 25, 2018 1:53 pm

Dan

They don’t sell GCs.

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December 25, 2018 1:56 pm

FLYER

WHATS ABOUT JET BLUE, ARE ANY WAY HOW TO GET A GIFT CARD?

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December 25, 2018 1:53 pm

Dan

They don’t sell GCs.

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December 25, 2018 1:55 pm

YY

Southwest $200 denominations worked for me earlier this month.

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December 25, 2018 1:55 pm

Sam

What are the options with JetBlue, not flying before new year?
Also, can I still change airline for this year? Ty

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December 25, 2018 2:04 pm

Dan

Read the post?

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December 25, 2018 2:12 pm

J. Grant

Southwest charged about $3 for actual gift card delivery and total charged was about $103. Anybody with experience as to whether this will not trigger the credit? Thanks.

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December 25, 2018 2:10 pm

Dan

Why not do the egift card option?

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December 25, 2018 2:12 pm

J. Grant

Good question. Not sure, considering that I am planning on using the funds for a ticket.

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December 27, 2018 12:04 am

jb

Dan, do you or anyone else know what happened with the United gift registry option?

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December 25, 2018 2:10 pm

Dan

Removed due to some sort of fraud.

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December 25, 2018 2:12 pm

J. Grant

This was my go-to. Wishbit was still around, but oh well.

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December 27, 2018 12:07 am

Benary

1. What do you mean by: “if registered for American” or “if registered for delta”?
2. Can I change my airline choice now?

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December 25, 2018 2:10 pm

Dan

1. As your airline choice.
2. Read the post.

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December 25, 2018 2:12 pm

guy

My card is linked to DL the taxes of mileage ticket trigger the credit but only low charges

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December 25, 2018 2:13 pm

Dan

Tickets under $100 often work.

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December 25, 2018 2:13 pm

Yaakov

What are the options for JetBlue. I am not planning on flying this week.

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December 25, 2018 2:14 pm

Yehuda

Must the $200 for 2018 be used before 2019 or is there rollover?

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December 25, 2018 2:19 pm

Dan

No rollover.

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December 25, 2018 2:54 pm

chaim

do you know if gift cards work for the bank of america rewards card (premium rewards visa signature ) that gives back up to 100 dollars of airline fee credit

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December 25, 2018 2:22 pm

Moshe Eshel

Thanks for the reminder @Dan !
The credit card fees already include this “gift” so it’s a waste not to take it.
Also since I’m not likely to fly in any of these airlines, and I’m sure there are a few others like me – I can suggest using a site like cardcash – WDYT? is that a good way to use, or maybe other suggestions (other than giving as a gift, which is also an option).

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December 25, 2018 2:33 pm

jack

The DDF

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December 25, 2018 4:06 pm

Hjay

Is there still time to apply for the card & be able to get it & spend before the end of the year?

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December 25, 2018 2:44 pm

Dan

Yes.

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December 25, 2018 2:54 pm

Aanna

I’ve asked the AmEx reps about this, but haven’t gotten a solid-sounding answer: does anyone know for sure if Platinum employee cards get their own, separate $200 credit?

Thanks =)

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December 25, 2018 2:46 pm

Dan

They do not.

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December 25, 2018 2:54 pm

Yaakov85

I had this question also – tried under my wife’s account and would not work at least for Amex gold card

Just got Hilton Hilton via this post but have not tried it yet for either user

Thanks dan!

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December 25, 2018 4:53 pm

Aanna

Thanks, Dan. So irritating! When I decided to get the Plat employee this was a key point for me, and the rep told me it would be a separate credit. =P

You will have the option to deposit a value to United® TravelBank as an electronic fund which can be applied toward any United or United Express flights or subscriptions on united.com.

This may be a workaround… gift it to someone and the person doesn’t need it, transfer into a travel bank, for us of reg tickets.

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December 25, 2018 3:07 pm

Dan

Cute, though you’ll need to first have a subscription.

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December 25, 2018 3:10 pm

Jake

Actually, it seems like you don’t have to have anything.

“The gift giver may have sent you a gift activation email or printed a gift receipt for you — you’ll find your code there. After you enter your code, you can choose to either activate your subscription or deposit the value into your United® TravelBank to apply toward future travel or other subscriptions.”

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December 25, 2018 3:15 pm

Dan

Very interesting. Try and let us know?
I’ve already used up my 2018 credits.

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December 25, 2018 3:21 pm

SS

What do you think about buying a gift subscription and entering the gift code in the same account it was purchased with and depositing the funds in its travel bank? And can it be done 4 times at $49 each?

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December 25, 2018 6:28 pm

User

Is it a risky thing to try?

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December 26, 2018 3:46 am

DaVe

I did it, but it’s not working. When I try and deposit it into the TravelBank account I get an error:

We could not process your request. Please see the message below.
UNABLE TO PROCESS SUBSCRIPTION REFUND TO TRAVELBANK

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December 26, 2018 10:19 am

SS

How about trying to deposit multiple subscriptions into someone else’s travel bank account? Or even buying it under someone else’s account using your cc and depositing the subscription funds into your own account..

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December 26, 2018 6:49 pm

Jewish

Dan, I have a Amex gold and didn’t see the $100 airline offer so I called and they told me that the gold card doesn’t always have it. They also told me that delta gc won’t work.

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December 25, 2018 3:32 pm

Eddie

same here called Amex they said Delta GC won’t work, is that right ?

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December 25, 2018 3:59 pm

Dan

As the post says, everything in this post is based on actual experience, not official terms.

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December 25, 2018 4:01 pm

Yaakov85

I just registered $100 for delta on Amex gold and bought delta gcs- how do you know if it works or not doesn’t it take a few days to get your credit?

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December 25, 2018 4:55 pm

Vlad

The classic (original) gold card does not have an airline credit

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December 26, 2018 8:45 am

Shmuel

Is there a fee to have the card expedited to you?

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December 25, 2018 3:43 pm

Sam

If I have two business platinum cards on my account for diff corporations will each one get the 200$?

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December 25, 2018 4:44 pm

ckmk47

yes

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December 26, 2018 12:32 pm

Sam

I purchased gift cards on both the same day and so far only got refunded for one of the cards

I had alot aa gift cards and they revoked it after a few months though they reimbersed my cc

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December 25, 2018 5:30 pm

M

Will the credit reset starting January 1st?

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December 25, 2018 6:15 pm

Edwin Blumberg

I tried calling Amex about the balance to use on buying American gift cards and they told me it would not be eligible for the credit ,how did it work?

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December 25, 2018 6:47 pm

Mendy613

Any recent data points if you can upgrade a gold to PP and get another 200..?

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December 25, 2018 7:05 pm

guy

Till what day can I buy GC and still be considered 2018 credit ?

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December 25, 2018 7:17 pm

A Rebbe

jetblue adding on pets works too

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December 25, 2018 8:12 pm

Arye her

Thanks dan for the reminder
I purchased 2 $100 AA GC in one transaction but it shows as one charge of $200 on my card will I only get $100??

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December 25, 2018 8:32 pm

Debbie

I did the same….. can someone answer this question???

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December 25, 2018 9:49 pm

Arye her

Update: the $200 credit showed up
Thanks dan

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December 28, 2018 11:02 am

Yitzzee

Apparently the AA GC’s won’t work when paying only for Taxes and Fees on a mileage reward ticket.

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December 25, 2018 9:02 pm

Willie

Now how do I use my $120 dining credit before Jan 1?

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December 25, 2018 10:07 pm

Jeff

Baggage subscription should trigger the credit reimbursement, right?

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December 25, 2018 10:40 pm

Scientist

This year, I’ve gotten the 35% rebate on Amex points used to purchase airline tickets on my preferred airline (United) but I haven’t used my $200 travel credit. Can I switch my preferred airline to Delta, buy GC, and then after January 1, switch my preferred airline back to United?

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December 25, 2018 11:28 pm

Doug

Quick! I just ordered 50$-50$-50$ of delta on my phone. (Sorry didn’t read the post well enough) anyway to quickly cancel or did it ever go Thru on someone’s mobile???? Thanks.

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December 25, 2018 11:39 pm

Shliach

Is there a way to check in I used the 200 credit up ?

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December 26, 2018 2:02 am

the better

log into your account click on benefits… Look at amount used

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December 26, 2018 4:58 pm

ckmk47

I log into my account, and click STATEMENTS AND ACTIVITY> YEAR TO DATE. Then I scroll through looking for “Amex airline fee reimbursement”. If you have a lot of transactions, ‘search’ for it.

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December 26, 2018 8:16 pm

mendel

Just applied for AMEX PLAT last week got the 60K Offer
Called up and told them I got 100K offer in the mail and they picked up the Offer to 100K without any question.
Got 2 $100 AA Gift cards
Credit posted within days

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December 26, 2018 10:17 am

bigissy

Dan, Do you know if the airline credit applies to the business gold card?

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December 26, 2018 11:22 am

Crunchy

Will the i get the airline credit if it was charged on a additional card ?

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December 26, 2018 12:01 pm

Ehad

What if I already receive the benefit of the gift subscription?
You will have the option to deposit a value to United® TravelBank as an electronic fund which can be applied toward any United or United Express flights or subscriptions on united.com.

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December 26, 2018 2:53 pm

Aron

Another great option how to use up you’re travel credit is by donating it to Miles for Life which have already helped people with over 6,000 trips. Here is a link.
milesforlife.org

@Dan
In 2017 I was successful doing an MPX GC purchase, does this route still exist?

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December 26, 2018 11:57 pm

Ann

Floored how many commenters are calling Amex and asking about buying gift cards. WOW. All I have to say!

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December 27, 2018 9:57 am

AB

I tried buying an Alaska GC for $50 cuz that was my chosen airline and it didn’t work so….called AMEX and switched to Delta and got the credit when I purchased 4 $50 GC in separate transactions. Just did this last week.

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December 27, 2018 3:21 pm

MM

For Delta…How long did it take to see credit? Did you do the Gift Card or EGift? I tried $50 of Egift on Wednesday and still haven’t seen charge to AmEx or credit. Let me know as I will use the remaining $150 to purchase GC

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December 28, 2018 9:59 pm

Mark

If I buy United miles will that give me the airline fee credit, or does it have to be used on a subscription?

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December 30, 2018 12:40 am

abraham

Can i Still apply today for the card and get credited for this year?

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December 30, 2018 1:12 pm

cook

If I purchased 4 x $50 Delta in one transaction, pending on amex history as $200, will I receive the credit? Or should I repeat 4x $50?

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December 30, 2018 9:53 pm

cook

Can someone answer this? Does it need to be 4 separate transactions of $50 gc or can i do 4%) x 4 in one transaction (posts as $200 purchase)

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December 31, 2018 11:43 pm

Momster

Thanks Dan! My husband had to call and change from JetBlue to Southwest, then bought a gift card.

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December 30, 2018 10:42 pm

Yo

Can I get this 200 credit on the Amex gold card

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December 31, 2018 12:48 am

David

I see Delta gift cards for $50 each using the desktop site. What if i purchase in $100 or $200 increments? Will they credit that value? Or is has to be $50 increments only?

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December 31, 2018 7:13 am

Abraham

If I purchase the Delta gift cards today will it still work for 2018 credit?

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December 31, 2018 11:12 am

yaakov85

Is there a limit on delta can i buy 4 $50 gift cards in one transaction and $50 in next if i want to get $250 on hilton card?

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December 31, 2018 11:39 am

Yoel

For delta does it have to be 4 $50 gift cards or can I buy a $200 gift card?
Thank you

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December 31, 2018 3:17 pm

Sam

For Delta do I need to get 4 $50 gift cards or can I get 1 $200 gift card?

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December 31, 2018 3:21 pm

Traveler 718

I was already registered for WN, so I bought 2 $100 gift cards in separate transactions 3 days ago. I see today that the message on my account switched from “$200 airline fee credit available” to “You have used all of your $200 Airline Fee Credit for this year. It will renew again starting Jan 2019.”

But I don’t see the 2x$100 credits on card activity, nor are they pending. Should I be concerned? Is there anything to do to expedite them, or will they post automatically in due time? And will they count toward 2018 even if the credits don’t appear until 2019?

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December 31, 2018 4:50 pm

Dan

You’re fine. They will be 2018 credits when they show up.

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December 31, 2018 4:52 pm

C

I purchased gc from Delta yesterday but the charge is still pending. Is there anything I can do to get them to post the charge today ( call customer service etc.) Thank you.

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December 31, 2018 4:59 pm

Hh

It says on my Amex account that I used already my credit for 2019 and have to wait for 2020
What does that mean?

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January 1, 2019 12:58 am

Raf

Would the gift card for American airlines work for the gold card

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January 1, 2019 7:05 pm

abraham

can i buy jet blue gift cards with this credit?

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January 1, 2019 10:04 pm

Moishebatchy

You say to buy AA GCs of $100 each, but “you can purchase 2 $100 gift cards in one transaction”. Indeed, I did it last week, and it credited, despite posting as a single $200 charge.

If it posts as a single $200 charge anyway, what’s the point of 2x$100? Shouldn’t it work just as well with 1x$200?

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January 2, 2019 3:27 am

ss

I purchased delta gift cards, as well as a $50 item from Saks fifth avenue on December 31 in the morning. The transactions posted on January 1. Is there anyone to complain to, or anyway to change this? I received emails from Delta and Saks confirming my transactions on the 31st.

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January 2, 2019 10:57 am

Jack

How can I use the $100 credit on the bankofamerica cc? I noticed that the $100 gift card doesn’t work for it.

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January 5, 2019 12:12 pm

TTT

I purchased 2 American airlines gift card each of $100. its been 10 days I never received back a credit. I used the link. What should I do?

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January 23, 2019 5:22 pm

Eric

Anyone have experience in getting the “buy-in” fee to retain elite status on AA reimbursed? Would do it only if I got $200 off. Thanks.

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January 29, 2019 11:06 pm

Naftali

Do you think that Delta will ever remove the now mandatory $4.95 fee to buy a Gift Card. Until recently they never had it.

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February 4, 2019 2:58 pm

Naftali

It says “Note that you can use up to 3 Delta gift cards per airfare purchase.” If I have more than that, is there any way to get around that?

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February 4, 2019 3:00 pm

kuraje

Interestingly, AMEX refused to reimburse my 12/29 purchase of American Airlines gift cards saying purchase of gift cards have always been against policy. I inquired mid-January and was told they would post in 2-4 weeks. Checked again today and was told they would not. Any way to appeal?

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February 6, 2019 10:58 am

Benary

Can you please update this post? I got AA gift cards over 2 weeks ago and didn’t get reimbursed. I saw somewhere that they stop reimbursing for AA gift cards. Is that the case? What about Delta and other airlines?
This is a time sensitive question and you reply is appreciated.

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March 6, 2019 10:15 pm

Dan

AA is no longer working for 2019. Delta still works.

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March 6, 2019 10:18 pm

Yitzchok Zelcer

Does Southwest still work?

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April 12, 2019 4:47 pm

FW

I just called AmEx, they told me that this program no longer offers reimbursement on gift cards for any airline.

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May 2, 2019 12:51 pm

akiva

Dan any update on which ones still work? I also bought AA and didnt get reimbursed.

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